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Virginians are heading to the polls on Tuesday, in what has become a high-stakes, drama-laced election cycle with nearly everything on the line — from the governor’s mansion to each of the 100 seats in the Virginia House of Delegates. With polls open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., anyone standing in line by 7 p.m. may still cast a ballot.
On Election Day you may bring one of the state’s acceptable IDs or, lacking one, be prepared to sign an ID Confirmation Statement and cast a provisional ballot.
If you opt for a provisional ballot, you must submit proof of identity or that statement to your local electoral board by noon on the Friday following the election for your vote to count. Same-day registration is available: if you’re eligible but not yet registered, you may go to your precinct, register and cast a provisional ballot.
What’s at stake
This election cycle carries a “everything on the table” feel.
At the top of the ticket, the Democratic nominee for governor, Abigail Spanberger, faces Republican nominee Winsome Earle‑Sears.
Spanberger is a former congresswoman and ex-CIA officer who casts herself as a stabilising force amid political turbulence; she holds a double-digit polling lead, per a recent survey by Roanoke College.
Sears, the current lieutenant governor and an ex-Marine, has portrayed herself as a defender of personal liberties who would continue outgoing Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s conservative policy agenda.
In the lieutenant governor contest, Democrats nominated state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Richmond. If elected, she would become both the first Muslim and first South Asian American to hold statewide office in Virginia. Hashmi faces Republican radio show host John Reid, a figure whose campaign has been mired in internal GOP strife.
The attorney general’s race pits Republican incumbent Jason Miyares against Democrat Jay Jones. A text message scandal involving Jones has reshaped what some previously considered the Democrats’ easiest statewide pickup.
Meanwhile, control of the House of Delegates remains up for grabs. Democrats entered the election with a slim 51–49 majority, leaving little room for error in a year when both parties view Virginia as one of the nation’s most competitive legislative battlegrounds.
Key House battlegrounds
Among the swing districts to watch is House District 22, anchored in northern Prince William County, where Republican incumbent Ian Lovejoy faces Democrat Elizabeth Guzmán. The two clash over data-center growth, reproductive rights and cost-of-living pressures.
In District 75 in suburban Chesterfield and Prince George counties and the city of Hopewell, longtime GOP Del. Carrie Coyner is locked in a rematch with Democrat Lindsey Dougherty, with education and health-care messages framing the contest.
In District 82, the rematch between Republican Del. Kim Taylor, R-Petersburg, and Democrat Kimberly Pope Adams could tip the balance in the House — Taylor narrowly won the prior election by only a few dozen votes, making this district a microcosm of the statewide battle.
These contests are drawing national attention and resources. Democrats, for instance, poured more than $400,000 into key House races early in this cycle, signaling the nationalisation of what has historically been a purely state-level fight.
The drama behind the campaigns
Beyond the candidates and numbers, this election has been overshadowed by scandal and intra-party upheaval. On the GOP side, Reid’s campaign was shaken in spring when a Tumblr account — allegedly tied to the Republican — featuring explicit images of men surfaced, prompting Youngkin to ask Reid to step aside.
But Reid refused, declared he “will not back down,” and the subsequent fallout exposed fractures within the Republican party.
On the Democratic side, Jay Jones’ unexpectedly public and ugly text-message exchange from 2022, in which he fantasised about shooting a political rival in the head, ignited national media attention and raised questions about candidate vetting and campaign discipline.
Republicans seized the moment, repeatedly pressing Spanberger to withdraw support for Jones — a pressure she resisted.
The sole debate between Spanberger and Earle-Sears, held at Norfolk State University, saw struggle lines drawn over abortion, tax policy and the broader character question looming so large in this year’s cycle.
Layered atop those dramas are real-world policy issues that have entered the flesh of the election, not just the talk. For months, the federal government’s funding disruptions slowed SNAP and Medicaid payments in Virginia, putting financial strain on households and elevating economic security into a live political issue.
Similarly, federal contract layoffs and idle civil-service jobs in the D.C.-metro region added urgency to the campaign messaging about job stability and state-federal alignment.
Summer’s protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation actions in Virginia communities also heightened discussion around immigration policy, community trust and enforcement priorities.
The implications for governance
The outcome of Tuesday’s voting may pivot Virginia for the next two years or longer.
Should Spanberger win the governorship and Democrats retain or expand their majority in the House, they would achieve a governing trifecta — potentially ushering in bold policy shifts on everything from tax reform to climate and public-education investment.
It would also enable Democrats to press ahead with a slate of constitutional amendments to enshrine key rights — including the proposed amendment establishing a fundamental right to reproductive freedom in Virginia’s Constitution.
Similarly, the party is advancing resolutions to repeal the state-constitutional ban on same-sex marriage and affirm the right to marry regardless of sex or gender, and to restore voting rights automatically for people who have completed felony sentences.
Conversely, if Republicans reverse their legislative losses and hold the governorship or pick up even one statewide office, they would extend the influence of the Youngkin-era framework and dampen an ascendant Democratic momentum.
In the House of Delegates, slight swings matter — flipping three to five seats in suburban districts could determine committee control, legislative agenda and whether bills pass or stall. It is why both parties have treated this cycle’s contests as far more than “off-year” elections.
For specifics on your assigned polling place, visit the Virginia Department of Elections “Polling Place and Ballot Information” tool at elections.virginia.gov.
by Markus Schmidt, Virginia Mercury
Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Samantha Willis for questions: info@virginiamercury.com.
